Online Counselling

What is Online Counselling?

Counselling works in precisely the same way as face-to-face therapy, but it is conducted online. Each session lasts 50 minutes, usually via video link using software such as Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, MS Teams, Facetime etc. You can use your computer or smartphone to connect with your therapist.

At Therapy Central, you can have online counselling sessions on the same day and time each week. One of the unique benefits of remote psychotherapy is that it’s more flexible than traditional in-person therapy. It is easier to schedule and complete virtual sessions, and as there’s no commute, clients and therapists can save precious time.

Though online counselling has been happening for some time now and steadily growing in popularity, COVID-19 lockdowns have given a significant impetus for the final adoption of this therapeutic medium.

Online Counselling: Is It Safe?

Qualifications and Vetting of Online Therapists

As long as online counselling is delivered by accredited and vetted professionals like ours, you can rest assured that it will be safe. Nonetheless, it can be a minefield out there trying to get your head around all the different terms (psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists) for remote therapists and knowing if they have the right level of education, qualification, experience, and expertise to help you.

At Therapy Central, we have a team of highly qualified and experienced practitioners, including Clinical and Counselling Psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists, who have been thoroughly vetted. Hence, you are in safe hands if you decide to receive online therapy through our service! Feel free to take a look at our team.

Online Payment Issues

At Therapy Central, from the very start, we completed all transactions electronically via bank transfer or credit/debit card for in-person and online therapy. We’ve developed a stable, convenient, and trustworthy system of making cashless payments for therapy.

Internet Connection Issues

We know how important it is to have a stable internet connection while delivering remote counselling. During online sessions, serious and sensitive issues are discussed. It can be somewhat frustrating to have your session interrupted due to internet problems. We have made sure that our online counsellors at Therapy Central have a high-speed, stable, and secure internet connection to deliver online sessions.

Moreover, we make sure to only use reputable, safe, and stable services such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, and other software for virtual communication via computer/smartphone.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Some people can be concerned about privacy issues in online counselling. At Therapy Central, we avoid modes of online communication that have privacy issues. While it can be your choice what platform to use, we suggest more privacy compliant options. The services we use invest a lot in cybersecurity, which further assures the confidentiality and security of information.

We’ll always check in with you about the communication tool you feel most comfortable using.

Maintaining safety, confidentiality, and anonymity is part of our ethical and professional values, enshrined in the BPS, HCPC, UKCP, BABCP and BACP codes of conduct, which are the professional bodies regulating the practice of our therapists.

Online Therapy Approaches

Individual Counselling

As is the case for face-to-face therapy, there are many types of online therapy, used for treating various psychological issues, for instance, online CBT for anxiety. Below you’ll find a list of approaches which fit remote therapy:

• Regarding empirical research, the best online therapy is remote CBT [4], which is also true for third-wave psychotherapy approaches (i.e. ACT, CFT, etc.) developed from CBT.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Compassion-Focused therapy (CFT)
• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
• Cognitive-Analytic Therapy (CAT)
• Schema Therapy (SFT)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). DBT and Schema Therapy (SFT) can be particularly helpful for those struggling with personality disorders [5].
• Online EMDR. Eye-movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is usually used to resolve trauma related to PTSD. Typical EMDR techniques, such as bilateral stimulation of brain hemispheres, can be effectively delivered online via your computer or smartphone screen.
• Person-Centred (Humanistic Therapy)
• Psychodynamic Therapy

A wide variety of psychotherapeutic approaches can be delivered remotely. You can find more information on these approaches and how we can treat various psychological issues with their help by browsing our “Issue” and “Therapy” sections. You can also read our more specific articles on online therapy for particular problems, such as online trauma therapy (you’ll find these in our “Blog”).

Online Couples Counselling

Online couples counselling is also a promising application of the online modality to the world of counselling [6]:

• Couples nowadays have a lot of responsibilities, and it can be very challenging to juggle work, family life, friends, etc.
• Online couples therapy can thus be a good way for couples to work on their problems while saving time for other essential activities, such as spending time with children.

Online Family & Group Therapy

The same is true for general group therapy, which can be appropriately administered online [7]. Getting many people to sit in the same room every week for a certain amount of time can be tricky. With the help of Zoom, Skype, etc., it can be much easier to be consistent with group or family therapy.

Phone consultations and Texting Therapy

You may feel more comfortable simply talking with a therapist, not necessarily having a video call over Zoom or Skype on your computer or phone. In these cases, telephone therapy sessions can be arranged.

We do believe video calls are a more powerful tool than the phone alone. Hearing and seeing your therapist is crucial for establishing a strong therapeutic relationship. However, there may be times when this isn’t possible. Perhaps your video isn’t working (e.g., camera or software issue), or you may feel more comfortable talking to your therapist via an audio call. In these circumstances, you can use the audio call option for your online sessions or the phone.

While texting therapy is used in some contexts, we don’t offer texting therapy as a separate service. However, texts can be a tool for communication, depending on your mutual agreement with one of our therapists.

Advantages of Online Counselling

There are several benefits to online counselling, some of which make it superior to face-to-face therapy:

More Convenient: You save time and money by not having to travel to meet your therapist.

More Flexible: You can choose to have regular sessions on the same day and time each week/fortnightly. Alternatively, you can choose from a list of available therapy slots your therapist has each week/fortnight.

Potentially More Comfortable: Some people feel more comfortable opening up when having therapy or counselling online.

Avoid Long Wait Times: When seeking help via the NHS, there can be very long waiting times for therapy, often at least a year. At Therapy Central, we have numerous available therapy slots where you can see a therapist online immediately.

Private Healthcare Insurance Covered: Following the COVID-19 Pandemic, more and more private healthcare insurance providers are approving virtual therapy sessions. If you are covered by insurances such as AXA Health, VitalityHealth, Cigna, WPA and more, you’ll be able to use your membership to cover the cost of therapy or counselling online.